An air cushion vehicle (ACV) is a craft that travels on a layer of compressed air just above any kind of surface--land or water. The compressed air serves as an invisible cushion that eliminates almost all friction between the vehicle and the surface. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/2/11

Coffee beans have more than 800 flavor characteristics, compared to red wine's 400 flavor characteristics. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/3/11

A gene is part of a cell that determines which characteristics living things inherit from their parents. Genes determine such features as the shape of a leaf or the sex, height, and hair color of a child. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/4/11

Cree Indians are a people who live in Canada and in Montana in the United States. They form a number of bands that speak various dialects of a single Algonquian language. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/5/11

Cloud-to-cloud lightning can stretch over amazing distances. Radar has recorded at least one of these 'crawlers' that was more than 75 miles (120 kilometers) long. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/6/11

A fathometer is an instrument used on ships to measure the depth of the water. It works by sending a sound down through the water to be echoed back from the bottom. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/7/11

Zero, in arithmetic, is the name of the digit 0, sometimes called naught or a cypher. It is used to indicate the absence of quantity. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/8/11

RNA, also known as ribonucleic acid, is a complex molecule that plays a major role in all living cells. RNA molecules help produce substances called proteins. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/9/11

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is the largest triumphal arch in the world. The arch stands 162 feet. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/10/11

Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" was inspired by a real event perhaps more spellbinding than the book. In 1820, the Nantucket whale ship Essex was repeatedly rammed by a large sperm whale and sank in the Pacific Ocean, leaving the 20 crew members adrift in three small whaleboats for 95 days. Only eight men survived. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/11/11

The middle initial 'S' in Harry S. Truman's name does not actually stand for anything -- his parents could not agree on a middle name. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/12/11

Fiber optic lines use optically pure glass the diameter of a human hair to transmit information. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/13/11

According to the U. S. Census, the population of the United States in 1860 numbered 31,443,321 persons. Of these, approximately 23,000,000 were in the 22 Northern states and 9,000,000 in the 11 Southern states. Of the latter total, 3,500,000 were slaves. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/14/11

Approximately 7 percent of 220 million cars in the United States have some type of GPS navigation system, and 13 percent of the 200 million cars on the roads in Europe use GPS devices. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

The tax deadline in 2011 falls on April 18 and not April 15 because of a District of Columbia-based holiday called Emancipation Day. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/18/11

An amulet is a charm that is often worn around the neck. Some people believe that amulets protect them from evil, sickness, misfortune, and witchcraft. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/19/11

Arabs are a large group of people whose native language is Arabic and who share a common history and culture. Most Arabs live in the Middle East, which spreads across southwestern Asia and northern Africa. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/20/11

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a United States government agency that helps communities prepare for and recover from natural and human-made disasters. FEMA seeks to minimize the loss of life and property due to such events as earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, hazardous spills, nuclear explosions, and terrorist acts. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/21/11

White is the most popular choice for the exterior of a house, while blue is the go-to color for shutters and doors. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/22/11

It's estimated that more than 90 percent of homes have a microwave oven, but they're much different than the first commercial microwaves. Those weighed in at a staggering 750 pounds (340 kilograms) each. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/23/11

Consumer Reports recommends not buying sheets with a thread count over 400. They claim paying more for a count higher than that is a waste of money. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/24/11

The practice of spring cleaning comes from Iranian, Jewish and Chinese traditions. All three cultures cleaned their homes in anticipation of the new year, which falls in the spring. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/25/11

The first refrigerator built for the purpose of preserving food was made in 1911, and a practical, self-contained model was mass-produced by Frigidaire in 1923. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/26/11

Based on per capita gross domestic product (GDP) the United States was the 10th richest country in the world (out of 229) in 2009. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/27/11

The Norfolk Southern Corporation operates one of North America's largest railroad networks. The rail routes of this network, called the Norfolk Southern Railway, extend more than 21,800 miles (35,100 kilometers) in 22 states of the Eastern and Midwestern United States. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

The gold standard is the use of gold as the standard of value for the money of a country. A country is on the gold standard when it will redeem any of its money in gold and when it agrees to buy and sell gold at a fixed price. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011

4/30/11

Niagara Falls State Park in New York is the oldest state park in the United States. Approximately 140 of the park's 400-plus acres are underwater. - Provided by The World Almanac 2011